The Heretic Queen is the story of Nefertari, the daughter of Mutny, therefore making her the niece of Heretic Queen Nefertiti. The book picks up years after Nefertiti ends. Nefertari is the last of her line, but her family’s history is never forgotten from Egyptian memories and they are not afraid to throw it in her face. Although this book can be read as a standalone, in my opinion it’s best to read Nefertiti first to really understand the sentiments of the Egyptian people and the events told in this book. Like Nefertiti, this story needs to be taken with a grain of salt as far as history is concerned. It seems like it was well researched, but the fiction in historical fiction plays a huge part in the story. I do have to give the author props though for adding an author’s note explaining what real historical accounts were changed. It explained what where her influences and the reasons for the discrepancies. I wish more historical fiction authors did this.

I loved this one more than Nefertiti simply because I liked more of the characters in this one and I genuinely cared for Nefertari’s fate. I felt like I could really sympathize with Nefertari and I really wanted her to win the love of Ramses and the people. The characters in this one are very likeable and are more multi-dimensional, even when they are vying for power. This was a big difference compared to her aunt’s story, where Mutny and her husband were the only standout characters.

I also highly enjoyed the plot line. We see Nefertari grow from a sometimes awkward and spontaneous young girl to a composed and cunning woman. I loved reading about her journey. The Egyptian history and customs explained in the story really made it a better than average coming of age story.